We are still waiting for flowers to bloom in New England...especially since we had snow yesterday! With my boyfriend's Greek Easter this weekend, I was scrolling through Pinterest for some inspiration and came across gorgeous hydrangea cakes and stunning flower photographs. I just knew I had to make them for his family's Easter party! While the cupcakes may look hard to make, all you need is the 2D Wilton frosting tip for the beautiful flower effect. Sharing a step by step tutorial for making the cupcakes start to finish!
Cupcake recipe - Devil's Food Cupcakes, Martha Stewart
The Devil's Food Cupcakes recipe is from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes cookbook (link here and step by step below!). Her recipe makes fluffy, delicious cupcakes and my family uses it every time we bake chocolate cupcakes!
Ingredients
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 cup hot water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each.
Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three- quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
Frosting - Buttercream Frosting, Domino Sugar
I have made Martha Stewart's chocolate ganache frosting before and love it! However, for the frosting I choose a buttercream recipe from Domino Sugar (link here). I had to make a double batch to decorate all the cupcakes (between 24-30 for Martha Stewart's recipe).
Ingredients - *not doubled below
3 3/4 cups (1 lb. box) Domino® Confectioners Sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
In a large bowl, with electric mixer at low speed, combine sugar, butter, milk and vanilla. Beat at medium speed 1 to 2 minutes, until creamy. If desired, add more milk until frosting is spreading consistency
Hydrangea frosting technique
Now for the finishing touches! Divide your frosting into two bowls--in one bowl keep the frosting as it. In the second bowl, add 5 to 6 drops of blue food coloring, mix together.
Next, take plastic wrap and lay a sheet out on the counter, spreading out the white frosting as one layer and adding a layer of the blue frosting on top. Roll up the plastic wrap, spinning until the edges are closed. From there, cut open one side and insert the frosting tube into a piping bag with Wilton's 2D frosting tip.
Place the tip of the piping bag onto the cupcake, squeeze and pull up. You'll start seeing the flower forming. Repeat until the cupcake is covered in the flower texture.